'Fairy godmother' donates $200K to Mac's Mission

Mac’s Mission in Jackson may soon see a face-lift to help further its mission of caring for dogs with special needs.

Thanks to a recently announced matching donation of $200,000, the not-for-profit shelter is able to maximize generosity for February.

And there are some lofty goals for such generosity, according to Mac’s Mission founder Rochelle Steffen.

“We’re hoping that we can definitely spend the $400,000,” Steffen said. “We have some pretty big plans for it, too. It’s going to be pretty epic, actually.”

Such plans are proposed in three phases, beginning with the installation of a 6-foot chain-link fence to surround the 3-acre property in Jackson, followed by completion of a 14-by-48-foot building, which will serve as an intake space and pet grooming area, and finally, a two-story building to serve as an adoption center.

The primary reason for added fencing, Steffen said, is to increase safety across the board.

“One of our biggest safety concerns right now is just fencing off our 3 acres,” Steffen said, “and making it safe for the people who are out here at all hours.”

The fence, along with a gate with coded entry, would also improve safety for the dogs Steffen said have found weak spots and become “escape artists.”

Completing an intake space has been a goal for some time, Steffen said, noting the building for that space was obtained as part of a grant the mission won some years ago. Since then, the building has sat about 80% unfinished on the property.

“The back portion of it’s gonna be our laundry space — we’re looking to get a couple [industrial] washers and dryers — and then our grooming space,” Steffen said. “So we can bring dogs right in off the street, give them a bath, clean them up and then kind of put them wherever we need to put them on the property.”

But the “big project,” for which Steffen said the mission needs the match “really desperately,” is a two-story adoption center that would feature roadside parking, a handicapped-accessible area specifically designed for wheelchair dogs and a large meet-and-greet indoor play space.

Steffen also hopes to install a water therapy pool, noting the closest place that offers such care for dogs is in St. Louis.

“We do a lot of [veterinary] runs to St. Louis, so that’s going to save us costs,” Steffen said. “It just answers so many questions and fills so many needs for us.”

Asked whether $400,000 would pay for all the plans, Steffen was quick to the affirmative.

“I think we could do all of this with whatever we get because we don’t need all the big, fancy million-dollar bells and whistles,” Steffen said. “We just need something that’s simple ... and comfortable for the dogs’ space.”

Mac’s Mission now has two part-time workers, Steffen said. Anything left over from the three phases could be used to hire some extra help.

“Being able to open this large building and this adoption center and merchandise and water therapy and all of this, it really helps us take our rescue efforts to the next level, but it also helps this entire community, this region,” Steffen said. “It takes a little bit of slack maybe off the shelter in Cape, the Humane Society [of Southeast Missouri]. We’re just looking to be part of the solution.”

The matching donation was made by a woman “local to Missouri,” Steffen said, who she had cited as “aunt Susy” in a Wednesday Facebook post announcing the match.

“Mac’s [Facebook] page is spoken as my dog [Mac, the pit bull], so he calls everybody ‘aunt,’” Steffen explained. “I can just announce that it’s a woman named Susy.”

Steffen said she was connected to the donor by a mutual friend who had followed Mac’s Mission over the years. After visiting with her, Steffen said she thought Susy appreciated the passion behind the mission.

“I think she liked all the passion that she saw with me, and she loved the idea of the property and the grassroots effort and how hard we work to save the dogs we save,” Steffen said.

The donor, Steffen said, is “looking to leave a legacy behind” and has been saving for “quite a while” to make a donation of this magnitude. She wants Mac’s Mission to see every dollar of her donation matched so it can do as much good as possible, Steffen said.

“She’s put it in place to where, when she’s not here anymore, something that she does kind of ripple affects and continues to do good,” Steffen said. “She’s kind of like our fairy godmother right now.”

And Steffen hopes to see the donation matched to make Susy proud to have “gone all in” on Mac’s Mission. While Steffen hopes to have the matching funds raised by Feb. 29, donations may still qualify for matching after that time if the initial amount of $200,000 hasn’t been matched.

“It’s so exciting that we’ve been given this gift,” Steffen said. “If we could double that and turn it into $400,000, the sky’s the limit for us.”

Matching donations can be made at www.paypal.me\macsmission or through Venmo by searching @macs-mission. Cash and checks can be mailed to Mac’s Mission, P.O. Box 444, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702. Charitable tax receipts are available upon request.

To give or for more information, visit www.iampitbullstrong.com.